Hurricane shutters comprise a major portion of the hurricane protection industry. Hurricane shutters can be affixed to a structure in several different ways depending on the particular requirements of each job combined with the published test results of each individual shutter. Shutters can be affixed directly to the substraight or installed into various tracks (i.e. f track, u headers studded angle etc). In many cases, a sidewalk bolt is the preferred bolt be cause of its low head profile and large diameter head. The combination Sidewalk Bolt is the preferred bolt because it gives the advantage of using a phillips or slotted drive to install and remove these screws. In most cases, the sidewalk bolts need to be removed or loosened to hang the hurricane shutters.
Combination sidewalk bolts are constructed with a large diameter and low profile head allowing the screw to be used on a floor or on a wall without being a hazard to the public. The large diameter head is usually preferred because the there is a larger portion of the fastener holding the shutters or tracks in place. Because of the thin profile of the head of the bolt, it has only been possible to construct these bolts with a slotted head. While advantages are obtained when bolts are provided with a Phillips head, particularly in the ease of use, it has not been possible to provide a combination sidewalk bolts with such a head following generally accepted design principles. In particular, the depth of the recess of the Phillips drive which is required for the Phillips drive exceeds accepted limits in comparison to the height of the bolt head.
A need therefore has existed for a combination sidewalk bolt which is provided with a Phillips drive.